I decided to take on the project of replacing the worn out carpet to my 98 Searay Bowrider 210 and ran into a couple of interesting things. First off, as I peeled back the old carpet- I realized the deck beneath most of the carpet is actually matching gelcoat. I didn't realize this right off the bat as I was contemplating attempting the project and now my goals have changed. My boat is constructed with a 1 piece fiberglass floor liner and it appears that only the liner section is finished in gelcoat. Now that i'm aware of this, I've decided to go with snap in carpet as I prefer the look of that instead- over glued down carpet. The sections that aren't finished in gelcoat is what I have questions about. The fuel tank cover is made of wood, the ski locker lid is made of plastic, and another small section just forward of the ski locker is also made of wood. Dealing with fiberglass wasn't part of my original plans, but to finish this project- I believe I now have to encase the fuel tank cover and the small wood section in fiberglass so that I can attempt to color match the gelcoat and roll it on to match the surrounding areas. Can i apply fiberglass over the plastic ski locker lid? (its not a problem if I cant as I'll just cut one out of marine plywood. Also, what should I do about the area where the fiberglass floor liner meets the hull? Can I just roll gelcoat over it ? Id really like to smooth it out so its appears seamless. (hopefully with an exact match in gelcoat). Lastly, what kind of solvent can I use to break down the glue without damaging the gelcoat beneath it? Thanks in advance for your advice! FYI - as far as my skill level- Im a Toyota dealership mechanic by trade, have done several DIY projects to my home and rental properties, and have no problems taking and following instructions. I'm excited to move forward with this!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/e3if9nreyxybat8/20190916_215107.jpg?dl=0 - original carpet and layout
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bqc3e3lsjn2w8oi/Screenshot_20190917-121609_Gallery.jpg?dl=0 fuel tank cover
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5f81x80ss2r3aq/20190917_122949.jpg?dl=0 fuel tank cover removed
https://www.dropbox.com/s/376354euimbd119/20190917_133345.jpg?dl=0 fiberglass floor liner and where its bonded to the hull
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fzrrx370wut6uh1/20190917_133349.jpg?dl=0 port side carpet completely removed
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a630cs2iql6n7m2/20190917_133414.jpg?dl=0 close up of floor liner to hull bond
Joel_CA
https://www.dropbox.com/s/e3if9nreyxybat8/20190916_215107.jpg?dl=0 - original carpet and layout
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bqc3e3lsjn2w8oi/Screenshot_20190917-121609_Gallery.jpg?dl=0 fuel tank cover
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5f81x80ss2r3aq/20190917_122949.jpg?dl=0 fuel tank cover removed
https://www.dropbox.com/s/376354euimbd119/20190917_133345.jpg?dl=0 fiberglass floor liner and where its bonded to the hull
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fzrrx370wut6uh1/20190917_133349.jpg?dl=0 port side carpet completely removed
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a630cs2iql6n7m2/20190917_133414.jpg?dl=0 close up of floor liner to hull bond
Joel_CA